Rules Are Meant to Be Broken/One
"Bramblepath wasn't even deputy back then, it was still Forestheart (and we all know how old he is, don't we, kits?). This didn't happen in our Clan, though we were part of the battle it affected. There was a massive battle between all four Clans. It all started a bit like this... ShadowClan had always kept to their part of the territory, the pine forest. Bordered one one side by ThunderClan and the other by RiverClan, they were completely isolated from WindClan, seeing them only whenever one needed to cross through the territories to get to the Moonpool, or every moon at Gatherings when the Clan leaders consulted with each other and everyone was held under a friendly truce. And that is the only reason why no one would have suspected that Eaglepuddle of WindClan and Sedgeclaw of ShadowClan would have been mates; their Clans were completely isolated from each other. There was never any affection noticed at Gatherings, nor any messages asked to be carried from medicine cat to medicine cat at half-moon. No cat would have guessed that two particularly loyal warriors could have betrayed their Clan so much. What no cat definitely had any inkling of, however, was the price the two would have to pay. ○ It was a balmy day, the day of the first Gathering of Greenleaf. In WindClan, the sun's rays were warming the warriors who were stretched out on top of the boulders around which they made their camp. The elders had come out of the badger set in which they made their dens, and were dozing just outside the medicine den. The squeals of kits came from beneath the gorse bush that sheltered the nursery, followed by scolding queens ordering the ktis out of the den. Eaglepuddle sat ramrod straight, her white underbelly flecked with grass but the rest of her dark tabby pelt groomed neatly. She flicked an ear as a kit tumbled past her, then turned on her tail and swept into one of the half-concealed burrow entrances, where Tawnystar held private conversations with his warriors. "Well?" the tortoisehsell tom snapped as Eaglepuddle took a seat amongst Sagewing, the medicine cat, and Stoneheart, the ironically stony-faced deputy. "I could smell them," Eaglepuddle reported. "They're coming across the moors; we better get our warriors ready and prepare for the battle. I can't tell if the others will be coming directly to our land to fight, there have certainly been murmurs of it on the borders." Tawnystar nodded shortly, his amber eyes flashing as he surveyed his finest warrior, deputy, and medicine cat. "Stoneheart," Tawnystar said after a short silence, "Assemble the patrols. Sagewing, ready your supplies. Eaglepuddle. Follow me." The small gathering dispersed, Sagewing whisking off through a small tunnel on the side created by one of the younger apprentices, and Stoneheart following his leader and Clanmate out of the main entrance, looking firmly resigned as though he knew his leader's plan was not a good one. WindClan's camp was devoid of elders, queens, and kits. Instead, brawny, muscular warriors stood in a tight formation in the center, looking cool and collected. They were led by a dappled golden tabby with lazily arrogant blue eyes. A smirk rippled across her face when she noticed the arrival of WindClan's leader - but he said nothing except for an acknowledging, "Larkstar." Larkstar flicked her tail for her warriors to fan out behind her. At a brief call from Stoneheart, WindClan warriors assembled in three lines behind their own leader. "Are you ready?" Tawnystar asked politely. "As ever," Larkstar replied resolutely. Side by side, their Clans mixing to form one, the two leaders charged out of the WindClan camp, tails waving and heads held high. ○ "Don't fight any ShadowClan warriors," Eaglepuddle muttered under her breath, the white tip on her tail twitching ever so slightly as the two Clans, her own and ThunderClan, sprinted through ThunderClan territory towards ShadowClan's. "Only RiverClan." The leaders signaled for their Clans to slow as they neared the border. Eaglepuddle slammed to a halt just behind her leader, catching a snippet of the conversation he was sharing with Larkstar. "...already allied..." "...together already..." "...Eaglepuddle...?" "Eaglepuddle," Tawnystar said sharply, turning around. His amber eyes raked right over Eaglepuddle to survey the Clan behind him. "Where's Eaglepuddle?" "Here," she replied, waving her tail. "Their forces combined?" Tawnystar inquired, knowing that the she-cat would need no further explanation. Eaglepuddle cocked her head, stepped over the borderline, and listened. Padding in the direction of the lake and putting her muzzle to the ground like a dog, she shuffled forward a few paces. She muttered something unintelligible beneath her breath, and returned to Tawnystar. "I can't smell anything," she announced sullenly, "but I'd assume so." "Onward, then." They were unprepared for the wave of screeching cats that surged forward, but that didn't stop them from whirling, claws out and teeth bared. Cats, the sleek-furred RiverClan and thick-pelted ShadowClan merged together to form one Clan, similar to ThunderClan and WindClan's unity. Jerked from her paused revery, Eaglepuddle spotted Sedgeclaw. He shot her a frantic glance as a ThunderClan cat slammed him against a pine tree, her paws closing around Sedgeclaw's throat. With a half-furious, half-terrified yowl, Eaglepuddle darted forward, sinking her sharp white teeth into the thick, fluffy brown tail of the she-cat attacking Sedgeclaw. The ThunderClan cat turned, eyes alight with panic that transformed into anger. Her fur fluffed up as she let Sedgeclaw sink to the ground at the base of the pine tree, and she scowled through golden eyes at Eaglepuddle. "You're a WindClan cat, aren't you?" she snarled. "Traitor!" Without raising a claw to Eaglepuddle, she turned vindictively and cuffed the side of Sedgeclaw's head with a forceful paw. The ShadowClan warrior - and Eaglepuddle's mate - sank lower, eyes downcast. Blood was already oozing from the puncture wounds the ThunderClan warrior had left in the side of his head. His enemy, the ThunderClan she-cat and Eaglepuddle's supposed ally, raked her claws down his ear, and when he provided no fight, smirked and sprinted away. It was as Eaglepuddle crept warily closer that the tortoiseshell shape came out of nowhere, claws whirring. It landed with a screech of fury right on Eaglepuddle, who screeched and tumbled down the small hillock, seeming to hit every jagged rock. Each stone sent a burst of pain through Eaglepuddle's body, but she righted herself and prepared for the oncoming assault. The end came quicker than she expected. A searing pain in her belly...then Sedgeclaw's face over hers, his blue eyes filled with horror. Frantically, he scrabbled at the ground in search of leaves to staunch the blood dripping from her wound, but only pine needles came up in his claws. He let out a howl of helplessness, his claws flexing in the soft ground. His eyes met Eaglepuddle's one last time. "Eaglepuddle," he whispered, his voice ragged. "Sssedgeclaw," Eaglepuddle hissed out through her teeth. "I...I love...you." ○ "That's the way the Warrior Code is, Mistykit. Not everyone gets what they want, and when they break it, awful things happen. No, Ashkit, I can't tell all of the stories, I'm sorry, that wouldn't be fair to the other elders. In fact, I think I'll give this one to Stargaze...hush, Nightkit!"